A Grammar of Yidiny

2 Phonology

Yidiji has a number of phonological rules of wide application, that
operate on the forms of inflected words - inserting and deleting vowel
length, and deleting a final syllable or final consonant - to ensure that
the surface forms of words meet the stress targets of the language. These
are discussed in detail in the present chapter; they are a necessary pre-
requisite to understanding the morphology, in chapter 3.

But consideration of the phonological processes must refer to aspects
of the morphology - the alternate forms of affixes (and the conditions
under which each occurs) indicate the nature and application of the
phonological rules. Critical decisions in the phonology depend upon the
form of certain morphological combinations, and so on.

The ideal way to understand Yidiji is to learn something of the
phonology, then a little morphology, then some more phonology, and so
on - gradually building up a picture of both levels of description (and
ensuring both the phonological prerequisites for understanding each
aspect of the morphology, and the morphological prerequisites for
justifying and exemplifying each phonological rule and constraint).
The writer follows this scheme in classroom presentation of Yidiji;
but it would plainly be an inappropriate arrangement for a reference
grammar.

Where sections of this chapter involve heavy use of morphological
results, cross-references are given to chapter 3. Ideally, the reader should
first go through chapter 2 - to gain a general picture of the phonological
rules presented there - and then study chapter 3 (and perhaps chapter 4)
before returning to a more detailed consideration of the present chapter,
concentrating this time on the morphological justification for our
phonological generalisations.

2.1 Segmental phonology

2.I.I Phonemes and their realisations. Yidiji requires only sixteen
segmental phonemes (the smallest inventory for any Australian language).
These comprise:

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32 2 Phonology

four stop-nasal series, best described (as is usually the case for
Australian languages - Dixon 1970c) in terms of active articulator:

stop nasal

labial b tn

apical d n

laminal 4 P

dorsal g ij

an apical lateral - /
a trilled apical rhotic - r

an apical-postalveolar (retroflex) rhotic continuant -7'
two semi-vowels:
laminal -y
and labio-dorsal - w
and three vowels:
open - a
close front - z
and close back - u

Each vowel has both a long and a short variety (2.2).

The stops and nasals involve identical articulatory localisation. In d
and n the tip of the tongue is placed against the alveolar ridge, whereas
d, zxiAjt require a fair section of the tongue blade to make contact with
the hard palate and the alveolar ridge; g and t) involve a portion of the
back of the tongue touching the soft palate.

Stops are almost always voiced. Partly voiced allophones are some-
times encountered word-initially (most commonly, the word begins an
intonation group); words cannot end in a stop. It is, in fact, normal for
the glottis to be vibrating throughout the articulation of a Yidiji word;
thus, in one sense, * voiced* is (for this language) the unmarked value of
the phonetic opposition * voiced/voiceless'.

Dixon, R. M. W 1977. A Grammar of Yidiny. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.